The Cards Are Wrong
by Quill's Feels
Summary: Cana doesn't like the outcome of a couple of her tarot readings. With stubbornness and anger that only she possesses, she's determined to prove them wrong-even if Laxus Dreyar really is back in town. Laxana, maybe some ElfGreen. (T for copious swearing, cause who's Cana without angry cussing?)
1. Reading and Return

**[A/N] Sort of AU (not entirely sure how Cana's magic works, so just go with it). Laxus hasn't been banished from Fairy Tail, but he hasn't been around for a while.**

Cana sat cross-legged on the bar, absentmindedly setting her cards out in front of her, and watched the brawl unfold before her. The only moves she made were to throw out an arm or a blast of magic to keep one of the other mages from destroying the precious vessels of alcohol on the shelves behind her.

_Tower_

Cana pursed her lips; she hated readings about lightning. They usually meant trouble for the guild—especially if Dreyar was involved.

_Reversed Magician_

Fuckin' A. Indecision? Cana was of a mind to gather up her tarot cards when Gray came flying at her, propelled by a certain Slayer's Roar. Cana ripped a card from her magic deck—lightning—and Gray bounced off the electric barrier she threw up.

"Away from the booze!" Cana bellowed over the racket.

Mirajane sighed, relieved that everyone knew to fear the drunk when it came to the safety of her beer. "How's the reading, Cana?" she asked, leaning her elbows on the bar.

Cana sucked her teeth. "Dunno. The _Tower_ means lightning or conflict—in this guild, those go hand in hand." Mira giggled. "And here, the _Magician_ is Reversed, meaning indecision or apathy."

"So what does it tell you?"

"I won't know until I draw that last card." Cana pursed her lips, examining the possibilities. She drew the card and turned it over, then groaned.

_The Star_

"Cana?"

"Healing old wounds," Cana growled. "Shit, Laxus is coming home!"

A dark look passed over Mirajane's lovely features. "Why?"

Cana gestured at the cards. "You tell me. Your guess is as good as mine."

Thanks to the careful policing of Erza and Master Makarov, the brawl settled down, and the various groups of friends returned to their tables for food and drink. Cana shook her head. "Master?" she called.

The small Wizard Saint turned and approached. "Yes, my dear?"

"Have you heard anything from Laxus lately?"

He scrutinized her. "Why do you ask, Cana?"

Cana gestured at the reading in front of her. "Can you read it, Master?"

"I can. How can you be sure it means Laxus, though?"

Cana tapped her head. "Part of my magic. I just _know_ which meaning it's focusing on."

The Master stroked his chin. "Last I heard, Laxus was in the north."

"Well, count the days, cause he'll be coming back, although for what, I can't be sure." Cana gathered up her cards.

"_Inverted Magician_ and the _Star_," Makarov muttered. He looked up. "Thank you, Cana. I appreciate the heads up."

Cana nodded. "Hey, Mira?"

"Another round, Cana?"

"Hit me. Strongest you got."

* * *

The long, dark coat rippled in the breeze. Music blared into his ears, a heavy beat thrumming with power. The cord to his headphones crackled with electricity—not necessary, but he was never the modest sort. Always needed a chance to show off his mastery of his power.

So Freed was styling himself leader of a so-called "Thunder God Tribe", eh? Good for him. Not that any of them had thunder magic. That was Laxus' thing. Nice of them to honor him, though. Fitting.

Laxus was going to love the look on Gramps' face. Salamander and Redfox were going to quake in their boots—he hoped they hadn't forgotten the lesson he taught them.

He threw open the doors to the guild. "I'm _ho-ome_!" he shouted thunderously.

The guild fell silent, stiffening in shock. As he sauntered up to the bar, he scanned the faces of the pathetic wizards making up the guild. Salamander and Redfox looked furious, Blondie looked afraid (good, good), the short blue-haired girl and her team looked nervous…

His eyes went to the bar. "Tch." Cana swirled her drink, decidedly disinterested in his appearance. Nothing in her face of body language gave away surprise or care that he had returned. Neither Mirajane nor Gramps looked surprised, either. Fortune-telling bitch.

He passed Cana and muttered, "Can't use your cards on the test."

"Fuckin' prick," she murmured back, leaning back on one hand and sipping her scotch. Over the rim of the glass, her dark, catlike eyes dared him to say something else.

Let's just get one thing straight, Laxus _chose_ not to say anything.

She snorted as he passed, climbing up to stairs to where Gramps stood on the balcony. Laxus bristled but again, _chose_ not to react. As he went, conversation picked up grudgingly, and he was no doubt the topic of all of them.

He glanced at the bartender and the alcoholic. Cana was ordering another drink. Tch. Fine, all conversations but one. He looked back at his grandfather. "'Sup, Gramps?"

"Laxus," Makarov nodded gruffly. "What brings you home?"

Laxus shrugged. "Northern Fiore is boring as shit."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Not enough havoc to be caused with Quatro Cerberus or Lamia Scale?"

"Nah."

"Well, it's good to have you back," Makarov admitted grudgingly. "I've missed you, boy."

Of course he did. That was Gramps' biggest weakness; his soft spot for _family_.

Even the brats claiming wizardship that Gramps fostered at Fairy Tail.

"Anything special happen?" Laxus asked vaguely, scanning the guild.

As Gramps regaled him with a few tales of the other members, Laxus focused his Slayer's hearing on various conversations around the guild.

"Can you _believe_—"

"The nerve o' this guy—"

"I swear, this time I'll kick his—"

Laxus zoned them all out. Nothing new. Blondie got up from her table to get a drink from Mirajane.

Tch. Laxus watched as most of the men in the guild turned their gaze to the bar, where three of the hottest women in Fairy Tail sat.

Stepping in with the streaker, the water mage from Phantom glanced up at Laxus. Fear flashed across her face as he leered crookedly at her. She hurried to catch up with Fullbuster and the Salamander.

"…axus? Laxus! Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope," he drawled, crossing his arms. He turned up the volume in his Sound Pods.

Being the center of attention (most attention, shut up) felt great.


	2. Draw and Distance

**[A/N]: I don't think I've mentioned how much I love Laxana. This probably won't be my only fanfic of it.**

**And my chapters might get short in parts; I want one part centered around Cana, the other around Laxus, in each chapter, and a few of their parts are shorter than others.**

Cana set her glass on the bar. "I should be going, Mira."

Laughter snapped in the lovely woman's eyes. "So soon? You've only had five glasses of scotch."

"And a mug of beer," Cana reminded her, laughing. "I'm going for a few errands, I'll be back in the evening."

"I'll chill a bottle for the occasion," Mira teased as Cana climbed down from her perch on the bar. She slung her purse over her shoulder and sauntered out.

The _Star_, huh? Old wounds?

She'd like to see him try.

She dropped her groceries at her place and walked along the river before finding a sunny spot and sitting there, feet in the water. She dealt her cards to either side of her. Shit, the _Tower_ again? What is it with the cards and Dreyar today?

_Reversed Judgment_

Guilt. Hell in a handbasket. In what universe was that bastard ever guilty about anything?

_Reversed World_

Hesitation. Great, this hand was gonna need more cards. Cana sighed impatiently and flipped another tarot card. Swear to god, if she drew the _Lovers_—

_Strength_

"Fuck," she muttered. Almost as bad. _I need to hit something. Now._ She drew the last card, this time from her suit deck.

_Eight of Wands_

"God damn it!" _Understanding and hope, my ass!_

Okay, what was the grand total? _The Tower_; Laxus. _Reversed Judgment_; guilt. _Reversed World_; hesitation. And…_Strength_; Cana didn't even want to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. _Eight of Wands_; Understanding and hope.

"I'm gonna kill someone." She gathered up her cards in a huff; she was gonna have to return to the guild early. Hell, but she needed something to drink. Something _stiff_, maybe to shake some sense into her magic. Her interpretation of _Strength_ had to be wrong.

_Power of love, my ass_.

* * *

"You're back early," Mira noted.

Laxus glanced down the bar. Cana was _not_ pleased, buying a whole bottle, tearing out the cork with her bare fingers. He smirked. "Not liking the future you see?"

"Shut the fuck up," she snapped harshly. He blinked in surprise.

"Cana?" Mirajane asked softly. "What did the cards say?"

She slowly reached into her pocket for two decks of cards. She set the larger aside and drew the top four cards from the other. Taking a fifth card from the larger deck, she gestured at the arrangement she had made.

Laxus leaned closer in curiosity. Cana didn't even look at him, but she twitched her finger and a deck of cards arranged itself to spell _ASS_.

"Tch." He turned away and downed his drink.

"I'm sorry, Cana, I don't get it," Mira apologized.

Cana sighed. "I know." She scowled at one card in particular. Leaning in, she whispered to Mira—Laxus focused his hearing on them—"But at least I didn't draw the _Lovers_."

"Huh." Mira cleaned glasses, keeping her face studiously blank. "So what does the arrangement mean?"

Cana rubbed her head with one hand and sighed. "It means I should take up oracle bones, cause my cards are broken."

Laxus snorted loudly, earning himself a caustic glance that could wither a shrub.

Cana's hand tightened around the scotch, like she wanted _very _badly to hurl it at his head. Laxus had no doubt that she desired nothing more. But Mira touched her hand and Cana subsided. "I'll tell you when _someone_ isn't around," she said with acid poignancy.

Laxus glanced over at the cards, trying to remember the magic lessons Gramps had given him. The card Cana was particularly upset with appeared to be _Strength_. What were the meanings of that one? Shit, beyond strength itself Laxus had no idea. Surreptitiously studying the other cards, he noted the _Tower_ and the _Eight of Wands_.

The _Tower_, he knew. Lightning. And judging Cana's reaction, it couldn't mean anyone but him. The _Eight of Wands_ was…Order? No, that was the _Nine_.

Hope? Understanding?

Shit, no wonder she was pissed. From Laxus' preliminary assessment of her cards, they were telling her that she and Laxus were gonna be pals.

He wouldn't stand for that.

"Cana," he said suddenly.

"_What_?" she snapped ungraciously.

With the hand holding his glass, he gestured at her cards. "If those are right, I suggest we keep our distance."

"Novel idea, I'll get started." She threw a few jewel on the bar and took the bottle, sauntering out. Hell, did that woman ever walk _normally_? Her hips just _had_ to move that way, didn't they?

_Fuck. _Laxus turned back to the bar and called for another drink.


	3. Chances and Chicks

**[A/N] This one is getting such a rapidfire uploading because I have so much of it done. Sorry, Chippendale fans! xD**

Cana hurled her deck of cards on her table and dumped her bag on the floor unceremoniously. How _dare_ he try to read her cards! Damn Makarov and his stupid fucking magic lessons…Stupid fucking Laxus, too, for that matter.

_Star_ and _Strength_, _Star_ and _Strength_…ugh, she could've lived with keeping the other cards, but why the fuck did she have to draw those two? She was perfectly fine with her _old wounds_, thank you very much, and just the thought of the "power of love" was enough to make her vomit.

"The future isn't written in stone," she told the room firmly. "And if it was, stone can be broken." **

She was going to fight this reading with everything she had. The cards _had _to be wrong. She didn't think she could handle it if they were right. Her scars had scabbed over, and that was all that mattered. They needn't be reopened now.

There was a knock on the door. _If that's _him _then I swear to god I will bash his head in with this bottle_, she fumed, storming to the door, scotch in hand. She hurled it open, beginning a scathing remark but stopping when she saw Mirajane standing outside.

"I closed the bar early," Mirajane apologized sheepishly. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Cana stepped aside to let her friend in. "Now, tell me about the readings you've been having," Mirajane said sweetly, arranging her skirt as she sat down.

Cana explained them all, leaving _Strength_ for last. Mirajane pursed her lips. "You'd think after last year—"

"You'd _think_," Cana snapped, glaring at _Strength_ like she could frighten it into changing. "I'm perfectly fine holding my grudges."

"Are you sure?" Mirajane pressed. "I remember how happy you were."

"Yeah, the past tense being the operative here!"

"Cana…"

"Please, don't, Mira. I can just avoid him while he's in town. Maybe I'll take a job, for good measure."

"Cana Alberona, you listen to me this instant!" Mirajane exploded. A ghostly wind fluttered her dress and hair. "You loved him!"

"I _thought_ I loved him!" Cana fumed. "And then he went and cheated on me with Evergreen! For two months—until I found out and _dumped_ his ass!"

"Well, your cards are telling you it's time for a second chance!"

"He's had _plenty_! Yeah, sure, I _could_ forgive him for Evergreen, forget the whole thing, but what if he did it again? Would you trust him not to do the same stupid shit? Not to mention what he's done to the guild over the years and been fucking forgiven for it!"

"What if he's changed?"

"That rat bastard never changes," Cana said bitterly. "Did you miss his stupid, attention-whore entrance this morning? Nothing _ever_ changes."

"But it can," Mirajane said softly. Her heart ached to see her friend in such pain, and no matter how hard the brunette tried to hide it, the barmaid could always see through her.

Cana turned away. "I'd rather it didn't." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "It hurts less that way."

…

Laxus stuck his hands into his pockets and strode out of the guild. No point being there now that the bar was closed.

"Where to next?" he wondered aloud. Visiting Evergreen was always fun…but if—when—Cana found out, there'd be hell to pay.

Wait, why the fuck should he care what that bitch thought anyway? She dumped him _ages_ ago. The only woman to ever dump Laxus Dreyar…

Takes a special kinda woman, he mused. He shook himself. _Go get drunk, Laxus,_ he told himself.

He obeyed himself, hustling off to his favorite non-guild bar. He then proceeded to get massively, stupidly drunk. "I mean, what's she even pissed at me for?" he slurred to the drunk guy beside him.

"I dunno man, but _chicks_," the poor wasted bastard agreed unsteadily. "Can' live with 'em, can' live wi'out 'em."

"I mean, it was a whole fuckin' _year_ ago she dumped me," Laxus protested. "What hell's she gotta be mad about? It ain't like we rebounded or nothin'." His new drinking buddy nodded sagely. "And I ain't slept with her sister—she don't even got a sister for me to sleep with!"

"_Chicks_," the guy repeated dreamily. "I should go find me one a those." He staggered to his feet.

Laxus raised his tankard. "And all the best to you, my friend."

Those stupid cards. Theypushed her from _ordinary_ bitch levels to, like, _Evergreen_ bitch levels.

Still, as plastered as he was, Laxus knew it was _a really fuckin' bad idea _to confront her about it.

* * *

****Not mine; I take this quote from one of my favorite books, Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn. Fits, doesn't it?**


	4. Leaving and Lashing Out

**[A/N] I decided to post Chapter Four already because I got a review that made me smile so widely...You know who you are, thank you! I'll continue to do my best! (And I totally agree, there aren't enough good Laxana fanfics!)**

Cana took a job early the next morning, grabbing a pack of travel meals from Mira and a bottle of whiskey for the road. No one had arrived at the guild yet, lucky her, and she was able to leave without fuss. She double-checked her card pockets (including the grounded tarot cards) and set off, swinging a pack over her shoulder as she headed for the train station.

It wasn't a big job; just a few days as bodyguard for some rich chick on the countryside. Cana had double-checked her cards about the job—forced to restart because they were so damned fixated on Laxus—and was certain that there wouldn't be any surprises.

She rested her chin in her hand and watched the scenery fly by through the train window. After Mirajane had left, she'd chugged the bottle of scotch. To her dismay (though any day but that she would've been proud), she didn't get drunk. So she was forced to drift off to sleep like an ordinary person, left alone with her thoughts and bitterness for hours.

"Mind if I sit down?"

She didn't even look up. "Beat it."

"Tch," he muttered, moving on.

Cana could always _feel_ eyes on her. She loved the attention; why the hell else would she dress the way she did? Still, it could get tiring. And gross, sometimes. Especially if they couldn't keep their pawing mitts off her. Part of Fairy Tail's rep was due to her pummeling hands that got too grabby.

She took out a safe deck of cards—it was really three decks of solitaire cards shuffled together—and began a game. Few people knew that rules nowadays, but Serpent was one of the most complex card games in the world. Even fewer were those who could beat it, and Cana was one of them.

She separated the decks again with a wave of her hand and started a game of Faces with a single deck. No matter how damned hard she tried, she had only ever beaten it twice, after hundreds of games. Today was no luck; she started again.

Card games and booze were the best ways to distract Cana. Since the train didn't allow drinking, she couldn't enjoy both at once (besides, alcohol made Serpent a lot harder to beat).

_This damned game_, she thought angrily, restarting.

* * *

"Where's Cana today, Mira?" Blondie asked after ordering a drink. "She'd usually be into her third beer by now."

Mirajane poured her a tall glass. "She took a job early this morning and won't be back for a few days."

"Tch." The women turned to look at Laxus, who ignored their gazes. _She didn't have to take me seriously, the cowardly bitch_, he thought. The Salamander burst in, making Laxus' hangover protest violently.

_Thank god I didn't go to her place last night_, he thought fervently. That would've ended _really_ badly.

Damn, how did she manage to be distracting without even being here? _Fucking hell, she dumped you, get the hell over it already!_

Laxus sighed. "Mira," he said tiredly, "Another drink, please."

Her eyes glimmered with amusement and she did as he asked. "What's the occasion?"

"Bored," he grunted. She set a glass before him and he downed it without blinking.

Mira crossed her arms and leaned forward over the bar. "I could tell you where her job is," she offered.

"Oh, I know where it is," Laxus replied earnestly. His mouth twisted. "It's in _I don't give a shit_ town, near _Mind your own damn business_ avenue."

Mirajane scowled. "I'm just trying to help."

"What even makes you think I need help, woman?"

Mira's eyes flashed. "Because this is the second day in a row you've had four drinks before two."

"Maybe it's just being home that makes me agitated," he growled.

Mirajane laughed humorlessly. "I don't believe you for a second."

"Yeah, and I know what bullshit you _do_ believe," Laxus snarled, slamming his glass on the bar. "But believe me, you're _wrong_. I'm _over_ it."

"No, you're not!" Mirajane burst.

"So _what_?!" he roared.

Mirajane leaned closer. "Why'd you do it, Laxus?" she whispered. "Why'd you cheat on her if you care so much?"

"I was─"

"You sure as _hell _weren't drunk for two months!"

Laxus shot to his feet. "It's none of you damned business, Strauss!" he roared.

The guild fell silent, all eyes staring at the bar. Laxus swept a gray-eyed glare over them. "Go to hell," he muttered at Mirajane, storming out.

Fucking Fairy Tail. Why the fuck did he even come back?

**[A/N]: Cana's impossible card game, Faces, is actually called Picture Gallery (I made up Serpent). I've been playing it for about a year now, and I've only beaten it once. If you're playing electronically, you can't cheat, and it's difficult to keep track of the various ways to fill the gallery (I swear I'm not just stupid!). I encourage you to Google it, see for yourself! It's fun!**


	5. Homecoming and Hatred

**[A/N] Loving the response to this so far... :)**

Cana returned home, pockets pleasantly full of jewel. The job had been good and easy, nothing like paranoid rich girls to fill your pockets.

"_Magnolia station, next stop_."

Cana stood and slung her bag over her shoulder, scooping up her damned game of Faces. She waited for the door to open. In a flash of steam, the doors opened and she strode out into the station.

She didn't know what she expected when the steam cleared. But whatever she expected, at least it wasn't Laxus.

"What are _you_ doing here, Evergreen?" She was too surprised to be angry. "I thought the Thunder God Tribe was on a job."

Evergreen adjusted her glasses. "We got back while you were gone. What have you done?" she asked coolly, cutting right to the point.

"_Excuse_ me?" Cana recoiled, startled.

"To Laxus. He's been drinking consistently since he got back to Fairy Tail."

"And you automatically assumed it's my fault," Cana stated flatly. She brushed past her fellow guildmate, forcing down her anger. Fuckin' Dreyar.

"Yeah, I did." Evergreen fell into step with the card mage. "Do you know what you do to him?"

"I can only hope that he regrets jumping into _your _pants," Cana snapped acidly.

"Yeah, actually," Evergreen said sharply. "And regret isn't a good mood for him."

"Then he shouldn't have done anything to regret in the first place!" Cana glared at her guild mate. "Why do you even care, anyway? Aren't you sleeping with Elfman?"

"Laxus is my _friend_," Evergreen retorted. "And hey, at least I've _got_ someone to sleep with, instead of falling into an empty bed that reeks of booze."

Cana clenched her fists. "_Not_ a good way to get on my good side." She slid her magic deck from her pocket, ready and hoping for Evergreen to retaliate.

Evergreen, though, didn't reply to that. "Why are you so angry with him all of a sudden?" she asked instead.

Can stuffed her cards away, itching to beat the shit out of someone who deserved it. Grudgingly, she was forced to admit that Evergreen would not give her the pleasure. "Cause it's the first time he's been back in town since we broke up," she admitted gruffly, part of the truth.

"You never _broke up_," Evergreen reminded her tartly. "For the last year the story from _both_ of you has been that you '_dumped_ his ass'."

Cana subsided, looking at the ground as they walked through the city.

"What changed?" Evergreen persisted. "Do you want him back?"

"No," she said with forceful conviction. Stuffing her fists in her pockets, she muttered, "I really don't."

Realization dawning in Evergreen's eyes, she tilted her head. "What did your cards say?"

"That is _none_ of your business!" Cana said hotly. "Like I'd tell you anyway!"

Evergreen halted in her tracks, forcing Cana to stop and turn back to her. "Okay, Alberona, I _get_ that you hate me for sleeping with Laxus, but I'm only trying to help here!"

"I don't _need _your help!"

"Then I hope for Laxus' sake that you get over this tantrum," Evergreen said coldly, turning on her heel.

Cana didn't watch her go; she was already headed towards Fairy Tail and her booze.

* * *

"Laxus."

"Go away, Evergreen," he told her tiredly, raising his glass to his lips. He wasn't at all up for sleeping with her tonight.

"Cana's home."

His fingers tightened on the glass imperceptibly. "So?"

"So I talked to her at the train station."

A pregnant pause ensued. Laxus slowly set the glass down. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What did she have to say?"

"Not a lot beyond anger at you."

Laughing humorlessly, he rasped, "And I assume anger is putting it mildly?"

"Yeah." Evergreen sat down beside him and waved for a beer. "She was headed back to Fairy Tail, if you care."

"I _don't_."

"Her cards told her something about you, you know," she said in a conversational tone, watching him from the corner of her eye.

"Knew that already."

"Did you know that they said something about you two getting back together?"

Glass shattered as Laxus' hand clenched suddenly. "Fuck you!" he snapped at his friend, alcohol dripping from his fist.

She glared at him. "No, _fuck you_, Laxus, 'cause I'm just trying to help you here."

He laughed again, that short humorless bark. "Oh, really? I thought you were more the jealous type than the helpful type, _Titania_," he mocked her.

Evergreen shot to her feet, cheeks tinged with indignant rage. "Why the _fuck_ should I be jealous about a pair of bitchy, self-hating jackasses like the two of you?!" She downed the last of her beer, shaking with rage. "You're perfect for each other in that _pathetic-ass_ sense." Stomping out, she yelled over her shoulder, "Here's to you and your talent at making women hate you!"

Laxus tossed a few jewel on the bar, with extra for Evergreen's drink and the shattered glass. He stood and left, heading the opposite direction from Evergreen's rage.

Laughing mockingly at himself, he whispered, "At least she didn't take off her glasses."


	6. Confrontation and Crying

**[A/N]: We're getting into the juicy bits now! ^_^ Two updates today ****_cause I just love writing this fic so much_**

"How was the job, Cana?"

"Enriching."

Mirajane studied her face. "Did something happen?"

Cana sighed and shook her head. "No, the job was a breeze. That chick was paranoid and loaded, the best combination," she said, unable to keep a note of anger out of her voice.

"Then what happened? Did you see Laxus on your way here?" the bartender asked in concern. "You know, he hasn't been sober since the night he got here."

"I don't fucking care!" Cana exploded. "You and fucking Evergreen both; why the fuck should I care that he's been drinking? I do it all the time and nobody gives a shit!"

"That's not the point, Cana."

"Then what the fuck _is_?" she snarled.

"_Cana Alberona, you stop taking your anger out on me_!" Mirajane shrieked. The guild fell silent, listening in fascinated horror.

Can slammed her drink on the bar and yelled, "I will if you stop poking your fucking nose into every little thing that just _might_ make a juicy bit of gossip!"

"I'm talking to you cause I _care_, you self-centered bitch!" Mirajane shouted. Cana sat up in shock. Shaking in rage, Mira slammed both hands on the bar, purplish-black magic flaring up around her hands. "What happened with you and Laxus is in the past, let it _go_!"

Cana whipped around as whispers spread through the guild, her crazed glare bringing silence back. She whirled back to Mirajane. "Stay the fuck out of it, okay?" she snarled.

"Then get some damned sense into your head, Cana!" Mirajane cried. "You're tearing yourself apart like this!"

"Fuck you," Cana muttered. Clenching her fists, she forced herself not to continue on a tirade, instead turning and pacing out of the guild, her spine stiff.

She made it about eighty feet from the door before stumbling into an alley and breaking down. She buried her face in her hands, desperately trying not to make any noise.

…

Laxus approached Fairy Tail slowly. If Evergreen was right, Cana was in there, and she would be _pissed_. Night was falling though, so maybe (if he was really, really lucky) she's be too drunk to kick his ass. She was at S-class level on a good day━when she was angry and dead serious, she could almost equal Erza Scarlet.

As he made his way down the street, his ears picked up a faint sound━what the hell? Laxus slowed, trying to identify the noise. Short, gasping breath, hiccups, soft gulping━shit, was someone crying? No, that wasn't crying, that was straight-up _sobbing_, and they were doing their best not to let anyone hear it.

He reached the alley it was coming from. "Hey," he called gruffly.

The noises stopped abruptly, the silence punctuated by a sharp but quiet, "Fuck."

He took a step back in shock. "Cana?"

She pushed herself to her feet, fleeing the opposite way down the alley. Her silhouette dashed tears from her eyes.

"Cana!" he shook himself and charged after her. It wasn't long before he caught up to her. "Stop!" Laxus didn't dare grab her, though. He was in the shithouse already, no need to make her angry. Er. Angri_er_.

Cana pulled a hand away from her eyes, looking at the hastily-wiped tears glimmering in the moonlight. "This━it isn't━I wasn't crying over _you_," she snapped defensively.

"I don't care." He took a step closer, and she took a step back. "Cana, what happened?"

"It's none of your damned business."

"God fucking _dammit_, Cana! Things are _nobody's damned business_ so fucking often that it's a wonder you don't fly off the handle every time someone asks you how your day is going!" he exclaimed. "So fucking what, it's not anyone's business? Isn't it enough to know that somebody _cares_?!"

She took another step back but he matched her, grabbing her elbow. "Get off me," she muttered, but it didn't have any fire to it; anger, yeah, but fear, too.

"Cana━"

"I said, get the fuck off me!" Laxus let her yank herself away. "You shouldn't have come home," she whispered.

Resisting the urge to touch her cheek, he whispered gruffly, "Bit late to tell me now. The damage is done, and this ain't what you can fix just by getting rid of me."

"I fixed it last time," Cana snapped. "I do just fine on my own, you know."

"What, closing yourself off from the people you care about you, letting your rage eat you alive? Yeah, _real_ healthy, Cana!"

"Shut the _fuck_ up!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the night. "What the _fuck_ do you know about it?"

"I know enough!"

She scoffed. "Oh, yeah, the cocky, rat bastard personality _really_ draws people in."

Cana stepped closer, and this time it was Laxus who stepped back. "You talk so big about not pushing people away…what the fuck is wrong with you? You remember how you pushed me away?" She advanced again and Laxus took a half-step in retreat. "Do you? You're such a damned coward, Dreyar━you fucked _Evergreen_ cause you didn't want to just _dump_ me."

"That's not how it was!"

Cana laughed bitterly. "Oh, I'm so sure. Then what was it, Laxus? Why'd you cheat?"

He fell silent.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She spun on her heel and started to walk away.

"Cana, wait━" He lunged forward and grabbed her arm. "Please, I'm━"

"Don't you _dare_ try to apologize to me, Dreyar," she hissed.

He tried to pull her closer, but Cana resisted, fear flashing across her face. "Don't," she almost pleaded.

He blinked in surprise at the complete 180 in her demeanor. She slowly extracted herself from his fingers. "Laxus, please don't."

She backed away slowly. "Cana━"

"N-no, I━No," she repeated hoarsely. She turned and fled.

He could only watch as she went.

**[A/N]: *loses breath over fangirling***


	7. Apology and Atonement

**[A/N]: Nope sorry not done for today. I never realized how short this fic is; it'll only be eleven chapters! D: Sadness! I'll get to work right away on another one, review and suggest some ships or fluff scenarios for me to write!**

Cana's breath hitched painfully in her chest as she ran, and when she reached home she hurled herself under her blankets, shuddering with the force of keeping in tears.

She wouldn't, couldn't let it happen again, no way. Laxus wouldn't ever change, not ever and she knew that, she _knew_ it━

"Stop," she whispered to her own tears. "Just stop, please."

Holy god, she needed something to drink, but even she was forced to admit that getting drunk would be a _really _bad idea in her present state.

Mirajane's voice came back to her. "_It's time for a second chance"_.

"Oh my god, _Mira_." Cana sat up quickly, the realization of what she had told her friend crashing down on her. "_Mirajane_, oh my god," she repeated, horrified with herself. "What have I done?"

She hurled aside her blanket and rushed back out the door. Laxus was right about one thing━she couldn't push her closest friend away like that ever again. Oh, god, what if the damage was done? What if she lost her best friend because of some stupid petty argument?!

It was late enough that Mirajane should have been home from closing up the bar. Fervently wishing that Mira would forgive her, Cana slammed her fist on the door, again and again until it swung open. She blinked in shock and her fist hit Elfman's chest with a pathetic sound. Gazing up at him with desperation in her eyes, she pleaded, "Elf━please━where's Mirajane, I need to talk to her, I need to━"

"I'm sorry, man, but she's not home yet," Elfman rumbled, ruffling his hair in embarrassment. "It's late, Cana, can it wait until tomorrow?" Cana ignored the silhouette of Evergreen standing behind him, arms crossed impatiently. This wasn't time for an argument with the sour woman.

"No, no it can't I need to talk to her _now_━please, what route does she usually take home from work?"

Elfman told her, looking perplexed, and she raced along the streets, but Mirajane was nowhere to be found. Cana ran to Fairy Tail, desperate to find her friend and apologize.

To her relief, Cana found Mira locking up the guild. The key had only just turned when Cana turned the corner, crying, "Mirajane!"

Her face darkening, the barmaid looked up, but before she could say anything, Cana barreled into her, hugging her as tightly as she could. "I'm sorry, Mira, oh my god, I'm so sorry━"

Mirajane's arms encircled her friend without a second thought, never the one to hold grudges. "Cana, what happened?" she whispered. "What's going on?"

"I just━I was so angry━" Cana released the barmaid, her heart in her eyes. "I didn't mean it, any of it, I swear, I don't know what came over me━"

Mirajane took Cana's hands. "Cana, stop, please, I forgive you. Just tell me what happened. Are you okay?"

"Laxus━I ran into Laxus and we fought and I just realized that if I keep pushing you away I won't have anyone left━"

"Cana, please, calm down," her friend coaxed her softly. "I know it hurts, and I know how angry he can make you, but you won't _ever_ push me away. _Ever_."

…

"Cana."

Her shoulders tensed, fingers clenching around a glass of wine, but she didn't turn around. Mirajane edged closer, as if to offer moral support.

"Cana, look at me!"

She glanced around, but it wasn't anger in her eyes anymore━it was hurt, fear. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry."

She didn't even look surprised, and he could hear some of the neighboring tables settle into silence in order to catch the gossip. Turning back to the bar, Cana took a long draught from her glass.

Looking around the guild, Laxus felt self-conscious for the first time in his life. "Cana, can I talk to you outside?" he asked quietly, leaning on the bar next to her.

Her eyes flickered up to him, and then to Mira. Something passed between them silently, and Cana stood. "Fine."

She walked out━_walked_, not sashayed, or sauntered, or in any way showed confidence in herself whatsoever━and after a short second, Laxus followed.

The guild was completely, utterly silent. As Laxus left, Mira's carrying voice reprimanded, "Leave it alone, people, this isn't idle gossip for you!"

The door swung shut, and he followed Cana around to the lake shore. Her unnerving silence unbroken, she finally turned to face him.

"Cana, we need to talk." She watched him with a flat expression, and nodded for him to continue. Laxus took a breath. "I'm sorry."

Cana inhaled slowly, meeting his eyes. "That's not good enough."

He bristled. "What the hell do you mean━"

"An apology isn't enough _to get me back_," she amended softly. "Don't give me that look, I know how you think. But holy _shit_, Laxus, I loved you so much. Do you have _any_ idea how it felt when I found out about Evergreen? And you think 'I'm sorry' is enough?!"

The pain in her voice was unbearable. "Cana━"

"Don't. We were so _happy_, Laxus! Why did you do it? _Don't_," she repeated more strongly. "I know why. You were bored."

He started in alarm. "No! Never, I━"

"_Not_ with me," she said softly. "With monogamy. You can't handle a one-woman relationship, and, frankly, it's a miracle we were together so long." She crossed her arms, hugging herself, looking cold in the middle of summer. She peered up at him. "Mira helped me talk it out, and I understand you, Laxus. That's why you were always off on a job before we got together, and why you couldn't focus on me when we were."

"I never realized━"

"That I'm so perceptive?" The corner of her mouth twitched sadly. "I can see past the bottom of my glass, Laxus. It just hurts less not to."

"Cana, I'm _sorry_," he said roughly, a lump rising in his throat. "I know, I know━it's not enough. It'll never be enough, not for a woman like you." Trying to swallow, he looked away.

"You're right," she said simply. Cana walked past him, back towards the guild. Her hand brushed his arm as she went and she whispered, "Thank you for trying."

That split second of contact brought everything back to him, every reason why he had loved her, everything that made her so irresistible, so perfect. He couldn't stop himself. He reached for her.

Hooking her around the waist, Laxus pulled her to him and kissed her.

**[A/N]: This is like the terrifying moment in a TV show where everything is resolved, happy ending yay, but there's still fifteen minutes left. It's not over yet, my lovelies, believe me.**


	8. Weep and Want

**[A/N]: I want you to know that I'm uploading this solely for pearlsnow8's sake. Your reviews make me smile and laugh so much. (I, too, stare at my mail, waiting for an update or a review) You're my new favorite person, kay? Let's just be best friends forever.**

**And just hold your breath, cause there are still a few chapters to go...**

**(Really though, thanks to ****_everyone _****for reviewing! Every comment lights up my face like a Christmas tree!)**

Cana seized up in his arms, frozen before shoving him away. She trembled where she stood, staring at him, her eyes filled with pain and loss. "_Laxus_."

The taste of him, the feel of his arms around her, the layer of stubble he'd grown━it stayed with her, all over her, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. She loved it, hated it, hated _him_, craved his touch again.

She stumbled back beneath his nearly sorrowful gaze. "No. Laxus, _no_."

He turned away, hiding his face. "I won't apologize for that."

"You _should_!" she cried. "Holy shit, do you have any idea how bad it would be if we got back together?!" She took several more steps in retreat. "You haven't changed, Laxus━I can't take the risk that you won't cheat again!"

"Why not?" he demanded, his voice tinged with desperation. "How do you know I will?"

She shook her head, her wide, dark eyes never leaving his pleading gray. "I can't━I, I don't think I could take it."

"Cana, please," he whispered, "don't cry."

Looking up at him in alarm, Cana wiped at her cheek hesitantly. She held up her wet, shining hand. "Do you see what you do to me, Laxus?" She gripped her hair tightly, shaking. "You're driving me insane. I can't take it anymore!"

"What are you saying?" he asked softly, stepping forward.

She staggered back. "Laxus, I love you so much, do you realize that?" She looked up at him, terrified. Her heart thundered. "I can't━I can't do this anymore. Either you leave Magnolia, or I do."

…

"That's stupid, and it's not fair to either of us," he said sharply. "_You_ love Magnolia, and Fairy Tail. _I _want to stay in town and be a part of the guild again."

Cana looked away, biting her trembling lip. "I...You're right, but what do we do?"

"Is there anything _to_ do?"

"I don't know, I just _don't know_," she whimpered. She put her hands to her head. "Laxus, I don't know that I could stay away from you if we both remained here."

He approached slowly. "Cana, why do you have to stay away from me?"

"Because you'll just break my heart again!"

"I won't━I swear!"

She looked up at him and he realized how close he had gotten. "Laxus, I want to believe you so badly," she whispered. "I want _you_." She looked down. "But I don't think I could trust you."

"Cana, it's different this time," he whispered.

"How?" she asked, her voice pleading. "Please, Laxus, tell me how it's different this time!"

He grabbed her arms gently. "Do you remember how we got together?" He almost smiled at the memory. He had gotten roaringly, wildly drunk━she had, too━and they had woken up in bed together. It wasn't a very romantic beginning, almost embarrassing, even, but she hadn't left that morning, or the next. "It's different this time because I know what's coming. I know what to do this time, Cana, I promise."

"But I don't!" She gazed up at him, her eyes softening. "What if you're wrong?"

"Then we can work through it," he whispered forcefully. "I know that it'll be different this time, Cana!"

She shook herself free and her voice broke. "I'm so scared," she whispered.

"Please, Cana, don't be."

Laxus yanked Cana close to him and she stiffened, but his arms encircled her and he just hugged her. Slowly, slowly, she relaxed, but she didn't put her arms around him in return. She planted her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. Taking a long, slow breath, Cana opened her mouth as if to say something. Instead, though, she remained silent, looked away, and left.

"_Cana_!"

**[A/N]: THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE I LOVE YOU OKAY**


	9. Risk and Realization

**[A/N]: Next is the penultimate installation...Let me know what you think, I always love to hear it! All day today, I was smiling like an idiot, nothing could bring me down! You all make me so happy with your reactions, and I really, truly appreciate all of you who have read, reviewed, and/or favorited!**

Cana _ran_. She fled from Laxus, from how much she had loved him (how much she _still_ loved him). She just kept running, even once the guild was out of sight. On and on. She took the stairs in threes when she reached her apartment. How had he even done it? A week ago her armor had been impenetrable, but now what he was back, she was a _mess_. How the _fuck_ had he gotten under her skin so quickly?

Cana was so scared. She didn't want to get hurt like that ever again. She had _trusted_ him, given more of herself to Laxus than to anyone else and he just─

But he seemed so...so purely honest, raw and truthful. He bared his soul to her, the way she thought he never would again. But was she willing to take the leap? She didn't think she could. Cana was desperate; she needed to know what would happen. She needed to know it was safe. She returned home, clutching her tarot cards like a lifeline, and fell to her knees just inside the door as it slammed shut. She cast the cards right onto the floor, reading them anxiously.

_Tower_

_Reversed Judgment_

_Reversed World_

_Strength_

_Eight of Wands_

"No!" Cana snatched up her cards and shuffled them frantically. Dealing again, she drew the same damned hand. "_Please_! Give me something, _anything!_"

_The Fool_

Important decisions. Well, at least it was _something_.

_The Tower_

Laxus, as always. The cards would tell her _Laxus, Laxus, Laxus_ until she had done something. Wait─the reading wanted two more cards. She bit her lip, picking up the suit deck, just as her instincts commanded. Shaking hands drew the next card.

_Three of Swords_

Heartbreak.

"_No_." Cana's voice broke. Mind racing, she sat back and stared at the cards, feeling sick. An important decision about Laxus...and it would lead to heartbreak.

Her hand moved with a will of its own, drawing the final, essential card. _Oh my god, not another one, please_─

_Ace of Cups_

Cana's breath caught. _Faithfulness_.

She bowed her head over her reading, her shoulders shaking. "What do you mean? Please, tell me!" Torn, she reviewed the cards.

The _Three of Swords_ and _Ace of Cups_ neatly contradicted each other. What the hell was she supposed to do? It wasn't fair, she just needed _help_─

Her hand found _The Fool_ and she stared at the obnoxiously whimsical drawing. Slowly, another meaning came into her head unbidden.

Risk.

…

His stomach roiled, angry and unsatisfied. He gazed over the lake without really seeing it, seeing only the fear in her eyes as─

"Laxus?"

He looked up, but the soft voice was Mirajane's, not Cana's. He looked away again.

She sat beside him on the guild's back steps. "Where is she?"

"I don't know," he muttered gruffly.

Mirajane folded her hands and looked up at him, her eyes soft. "May I ask─?"

"She's afraid of me," Laxus uttered shortly. His shoulders hunched as he said it. She was _afraid_. Of _him_. His fate was as good as sealed.

But Mirajane shook her head. "No, she isn't. She's afraid of what you might do."

"But I _won't_! And she won't believe me!"

"She needs time, Laxus."

He shot to his feet. "_She's_ the one who dumped _me_!" he yelled, like it was somehow Mirajane's fault, that Cana would come back if he yelled at the pretty barmaid, that everything would be better if he just _yelled_.

"She was more invested in the relationship than you were," Mira told him sharply, rising to her feet. "She's loved you a lot longer than you might think."

"I─"

"You had an affair with Evergreen, a fellow guildmate, not just some random skank, and you expect her to just be _okay_ with it, knowing how much she cared about you?" Mirajane demanded. Her hands tightened into fists.

"No, of course not! Isn't it enough for her to know that I regret it? I wish I'd never even _looked _at Ever the wrong way!" Laxus shouted.

"That's not good enough for her!" Mirajane shrieked. "You don't get it, do you, Laxus? You _tore her apart_ when you slept with Evergreen, and now you're asking her to just _forget _the agony you put her through, to get back together when she can't possibly be sure if you won't do it again? _Don't say a word_," she warned him fiercely when he opened his mouth. "You need to understand what you did to her, Laxus, what she went through and how much she suffered!"

"AND I _DIDN'T _SUFFER TOO?" he bellowed back. Lightning crackled through the air. "Why the _fuck _do you think I would avoid my own damned home, my own fucking family and friends, if I wasn't hurting too?!"

"You knew that the end was coming, Laxus! You slept with another woman, and you expected that you'd stay with Cana? You blindsided her, coming out of nowhere with this cheating bullshit!"

Laxus looked away, at a loss for words. "I never thought of it that way. I thought─"

"No, you didn't. You didn't think at _all_, Laxus," Mirajane said tartly. She sighed. "I suggest you give her some space, Laxus, at least until she figures out what she wants. She'll come to you when she's ready."

He knew she was right. No matter her decision, Cana would make sure to let him know. Mirajane was completely right; as he realized it, his anger subsided. There was _nothing _he could do; nothing to change her mind, nothing to ease the pain of the past. All he could do was keep pain out of her future.

Laxus glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and gave his friend a small smile by way of apology. "You know, I think she's starting to rub off on you."


	10. Obscurity and Obsession

**[A/N] I'm so sorry that this is so short...but I promise, the final chapter will be better; it'll be as long as I can make it!**

**Keep an eye out for my next Laxana fanfic! It'll be much longer than this one, promise! And won't be solely Laxana, even though they'll be the focus of the story. GaLe, Gruvia, NaLu (even though I don't ship it)... Get pumped!**

Cana ran her fingers over the cards again, thinking and biting her lip. Risk, Laxus, heartbreak, faithfulness. An important decision.

The cards refused to give her a clear answer─in fact, they seemed to be telling her to make up her damned mind; every time she tried a reading, she drew the _Fool_, the _Tower_, and two other cards with varying levels of pain and happiness. There was no definitive answer, now that she most needed one.

"Please," she whispered again. "Please, just tell me what to do."

She knew she was relying too heavily on her cards. Nothing is set in stone, she reminded herself. But she needed hope. She needed someone (not Laxus) to tell her that it would be okay (not Mirajane, either), someone she could believe.

But who in the guild would she listen to? Most of the time, she barely even heeded Mirajane's advice. Who did she have enough faith and trust in? Right now, it was her cards. Inanimate sheets with pretty pictures, who were bitching at her today.

What the hell would she do?

What the hell _could_ she do?

…

Laxus wandered. What the hell else could he do? Until Cana made up her mind, he was helpless. Powerless, even.

He didn't like the feeling. He _despised _the feeling. He felt so useless. He wanted to be with her, to hear the verdict this instant. No matter what it was; he couldn't handle the waiting.

He briefly toyed with the idea of doing something stupid (meaning romantic), but dismissed the thought, knowing that Cana would not appreciate the pressure. He had loitered around the guild, nursing a drink, until Mirajane kicked him out "to clear his head".

Tch. _Cana_ was the one who needed to clear her head. Laxus had to admit, though, that he found that he was thinking much more clearly without her around, despite the fact that she was never far from his thoughts. He _knew_ things, now that she wasn't there, her wide, dark eyes full of fear or anger and blurring his thoughts. He was so certain of it; he wanted her back so badly it hurt.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, meandering along the canals. His coat flapped sullenly around his ankles as he strode through Magnolia.

He'd forgotten how nice the city really was. The lake Fairy Tail sat beside sparkled in the sun, as did the canals, and the houses were so clean, simple and pretty. The weather was clear, but none of the beauty around him could lift his mood for more than a brief moment. There was only one thing that could do that.

Fuck, but he needed something to do. Something that _didn't_ remind him of Cana. He couldn't go drink somewhere, it was literally just a step from thinking about her, how she could hold her scotch better than any man Laxus knew, the way her eyes sparkled happily when she was drunk, waking up beside her after─

"Fucking hell!" See, how could he _not _think about her? This whole damned town was hers, and he found traces of her everywhere he looked, like he had watched her sculpt the city with her own slender fingers. She was everywhere, but he couldn't reach her, a million miles away from everything he wanted, even as the memory of her pressed in so close.

She had to be doing this on purpose, the same way she'd ignored him when he first got home. Laxus' thoughts returned to the memory of her sitting there on top of the bar, leaning back on one hand, her eyes _daring _him to say something else. He loved it when she was like that. It wasn't right when Cana was anything but loud, boisterous, and confident. And all this week, she'd been subdued, hurt, and angry; it was his fault, and he hated himself for it.

Laxus sat down by the river, put his head in his hands. How did she even get into his head so effectively? The whole time he'd been in town, he'd either angry, drunk, or near her, and now that his mind was clear, all he could think about was _her_!

Life had been so much simpler when he couldn't think straight.


	11. Verdict

**[A/N]: So I'm posting this today instead of tomorrow because I was told that I'm disappointing my fans. xD And yes, I completely believe that Cana's cards are sentient. And kinda like "JUST KISS ALREADY"**

**Aaand the word count on my laptop was wrong, so this isn't as long as I thought it was.**

_Risk_. That's what the _Fool _meant. Cana felt a bit lighter, despite the fear clouding her mind.

She'd tried so hard to prove her cards wrong this week, but resisting only led to more pain. For once, though, she was making a prediction about her own life. It was personal this time, not like telling Lucy "You'll meet someone special today", or reassuring Erza that the world wouldn't run out of strawberry cake (though, really, who even needed cards for that? The requip mage probably funded the whole industry).

She'd had these cards since she was little; they were so familiar and close to her. She had poured her magic, her soul, into them daily for years; they _knew _her. There would be no guesswork if they decided to tell Cana's own future.

She tried one last hand.

_The Fool_

Already to the suit deck? Cana obeyed, wondering why her cards only wanted a single _Major Arcana_.

_Queen of Swords_

Ha, a woman who has suffered great loss. And─what the?

_Reversed_ _Three of Swords_

Confusion. Okay.

_Knight of Cups_

The corner of her mouth crooked upwards. Change of a romantic nature. If her cards could speak, she knew how exasperated with her they'd be; they were so done with her shit, she knew, and it lifted some of the weight out of the pit of her stomach. "Okay, I─I think I get it." Being extra gentle with them, she carefully stacked her cards. "Thank you." She touched them lightly. Cana stood. "I'm listening now." _You just had to slam it into my head_. It was finally, blessedly, a definite answer.

She hadn't wanted to listen to the cards at all this week, that much she knew. But it was time to start. Let fate take her where it would, because now Cana had faith. She was still afraid, more so than ever before, but both she and her cards knew that she loved Laxus, and if the ancient magic in her tarot decks were telling her so definitively to take the risk, then she'd better take the damned risk.

For all the heartbreak it might bring. She would never be ready for that sort of pain, but, like her cards said, it was a risk.

…

He'd decided to return to Fairy Tail, after all. If he was going to be stuck thinking about her all day, he might as well do it somewhere with good beer. Besides, she'd be able to find him here…

"_Laxus Dreyar!_"

Again, the guild went silent, watching with eager anticipation of new, juicy stories. Laxus hoped it would be the last time he'd give them any such satisfaction.

Cana sauntered─sauntered, sashayed, glided, strutted, whatever the hell you want to call it because _damn_─up through the tables, her eyes flashing. Laxus set down his drink and slowly stood, bracing himself.

As she neared, though, he realized that the flash in her eyes wasn't anger─Cana was defiant; triumphant, even.

He could lose himself in those proud, catlike eyes. He proceeded to do so, thus startled out of his wit when she grabbed the lapels of his coat and yanked him towards her.

She kissed him fiercely, possessively, tenderly, her eyes squeezed shut. He caught himself on the edge of the bar and raised his other hand to the back of her head, tilting his head and hers to kiss her better. He was drunk with the feel of her, intoxicated with the rush of emotions boiling up inside of him. He loved it, loved _her_.

Cana slowly released his coat, pulling her head away from his lips. Her eyes flashed again. "I swear to god, Laxus, this time─"

"I know." He leaned in again but she stopped him, even though her body still pressed him up against the bar.

"Laxus, I'm serious." She gazed up at him, her expression passionate. "If you _ever _hurt me again, I will _break you_." Hanging in the air between them, unspoken, were the words _if I don't break first_.

He kissed her before she could stop him, briefly and gently. "I _know_." He leaned in to whisper, "I don't like it when you're not this brash."

She glared at him, then yanked him in for another kiss.

Holy god, he'd forgotten how good she was.

Distantly, he heard Mirajane yell, "That's all for today, people, they'll be at this for a while." He grinned fiercely against Cana and didn't deny it.

**[A/N]: Just as a parting gift, check out this song: ****_ Beautiful Soul_, by Jesse McCartney**

**I found it on my old iPod today, and if you listen to the lyrics it's _literally_ this fanfic. Theme song, anyone?**

**If I get enough support, I'll post a couple of fluff pieces that follow this storyline. ;) As an epilogue, you know?**


	12. Fluff 1: Vintage

**[A/N]: I decided to post some fluff because the idea of this made me giggle like an idiot. Also, I was reading what I had written in the previous and I just realized I made Mira the Devil's Advocate, didn't I? xD**

"_Could I see your headphones?"_

"_What for?"_

"_Just give them to me, you ass!"_

…

Laxus flew backwards with the force of the explosion, taking out most of the wall and flying into the house across the street. Dazed, he picked himself out of the rubble, brushing bit of brick and mortar out of his spiky blond hair.

"Laxus?"

He looked around and grinned at Mira. "Morning, Mirajane."

She looked up at Cana's apartment in concern. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Distantly, they could both hear Cana swearing up a storm, and the sound of glass shattering. "Are you being attacked?" Mirajane asked, looking fearful.

Laxus grimaced, ruffling his hair. "Well, no…"

"What blew up, then?!"

"Uh, she did."

"Oh, no," Mirajane whispered. "Laxus, what have you done?"

He looked irritated. "I didn't cheat on her, if that's what you're asking."

A large glass bottle flew out of the hole in Cana's wall. Laxus ducked quickly and it shattered on the wall behind him.

He looked up at the house and grimaced again. "I drank her last bottle of vintage scotch."

"Oh, _Laxus_!" Mirajane groaned in despair.

"It didn't have a label on it!" he objected.

Mira turned to the house and put her hands to her mouth. "_Cana_!" she yelled. "_We've got another bottle at the guild if you calm down!_"

The swearing paused. After a second, Cana emerged, looking like nothing had happened. "Morning, Mira," she greeted her friend. "What's this about more vintage?"

"Tch," Laxus muttered.

Mirajane laughed. "Come, we'll let Laxus clean up the street and I'll send Laki over later to help repair the house."

Laxus waved them off and marched upstairs to get Cana's broom.

His headphones sat on the table. He gazed at them for a moment, then grinned. Had she taken them from him so they wouldn't get damaged in the blast?


	13. Fluff 2: Stars

**[A/N]: Let's see, study for my math final on Monday or post Laxana fluff? The latter, ****_obviously_****. **

**I know I said this story was over (The plot itself is) but I just fucking love this pairing that it needs literally of the fluff I can give it.**

**So cute coupley shit, Laxana style. **

**Fuck yeah.**

Cana sat on the couch, paging through her mom's old copy of _The Major Arcana_. She had more than memorized everything in it, including Cornelia's tiny little handwritten notes in the margins (Cana had even added a few of her own). She just kept rereading it because she liked seeing her mom's words.

Thinking of Cornelia always led straight to thinking about Gildarts. He hadn't been home in over two years now, missing Laxus and Cana's first relationship, their breakup, and now their makeup.

She was still debating whether or not to tell him about Laxus at all.

Cana frowned at the page a little sadly, missing her parents while gazing through the page describing _The Star_, the card of old wounds.

Sometimes the book was as annoyingly observant as her cards.

Laxus looked up from the lacrima he was tinkering with on the table, noting the melancholy furrow to Cana's brow. He knew from experience that she was thinking about her parents again.

He stood abruptly, shaking Cana from her reverie and making her look up at him in surprise. Her brow softened. "Laxus?"

"Back in a bit," he answered perfunctorily, striding over to kiss her forehead. "Don't get too lost in your thought or you'll need a map just to come back to me."

She smiled at him a little wanly and he left.

He hated that sad look on her face (he hated _any_ sad look on her face), resolving to fix it the best way he could think of.

* * *

Cana had nodded off, her chin on her chest and the book propped up against her knees, when Laxus returned. Stomping through the apartment loudly enough to jolt her awake, he grabbed several blankets from the linen closet. "Come on."

"What the hell?" she asked blankly, not moving.

"My other arm's not carrying anything, you know! Get it moving!" When she didn't obey, he approached.

"Laxus, what in god's name are you─_hey_!" He had walked over and scooped her up, throwing her over his free shoulders. "Laxus, what the actual fuck!"

"Stop kicking me." He carried her out of the apartment and down the darkened street.

"Then put me down!"

"Not yet, jeez," he told her calmly, a little smirk twitching at his mouth. He rotated the wrist holding his girlfriend and started to tickle her.

Writhing, Cana shrieked alternately with laughter and rude expletives. "_LAXUS MOTHERFUCKING DREYAR, YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS FUCKING INSTANT_!"

"Calm your tits, Cana. We're almost there."

"_I'll calm the fuck down when you stop fucking tickling me_!"

He obeyed, grinning, and she subsided, trying to look over her shoulder and see where they were going. "Almost where?"

Laxus didn't answer, instead dazzling her with a small flash of lightning and earning himself another good ear blistering. Still holding her over his shoulder, he used his free hands to lay out the blankets on the grass. Finally, he dumped her to the ground ungracefully and sat down beside her.

"Fuck you, you know that?" Cana muttered, rubbing her eyes. She blinked, trying to clear the spots in her vision.

"Yeah, and you're welcome."

Pausing, she looked up and waited as her vision cleared. A smile tugged at her lips, widening gradually. "Oh, Laxus."

He'd brought her up to the edge of the lake near Fairy Tail, having set up multicolored lacrimae around their blankets. The stars were out, the calm (now that Cana had stopped swearing) night softly aglow with rainbow light.

He glanced at her. "I saw the look on your face, you know."

"What look?"

He snorted. "Tch, a blind man could see that your mom's book was bummin' you out."

"Oh. That."

He laid back on the blankets, one arm folded underneath his head, and after a moment, Cana laid down beside him, snuggling close. He put his free arm around her.

"It's no fun when you're like that, you know."

"Well, that makes _all_ the difference, doesn't it?" drawled Cana in fond sarcasm.

"Yeah, it does, actually. Come on, what was buggin' you?"

Cana hesitated. "Come on," Laxus repeated coaxingly.

"My dad," she admitted finally.

"What about him?"

Laxus would just be offended that she hadn't told Gildarts about their relationship even once. "...I miss him, is all."

"Fine, then." He didn't say anything as she shifted onto her side, draping and arm across his waist. "Tell me the truth when you're ready."

She stiffened and he wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. Shortly, though, he realized that Cana's shaking was really her trying not to laugh. And failing.

"What the hell is so funny?" he demanded, sitting up.

She rolled onto her back and laughed up at him. "_You_ are! I mean, just look at yourself!" She affected a baritone that was probably supposed to be an impression of Laxus. "_I'm the big scary Lightning Dragon Slayer, and I'm here to talk about my girlfriend's feelings_!"

He scowled at her, a smirk twitching his lips. "I don't sound anything like that."

She laughed harder. "Like hell you don't! _Rawr, Makarov and his stupid love are weak_!" She collapsed in laughter.

"Shut up, daddy issues!"

"You first, _granddaddy _issues!"

He growled and fell back on the blankets again. "I don't have granddaddy issues," he grumbled.

She turned onto her stomach and kissed him sweetly. "Sure, you don't."

"I _don't_." He rolled until he was leaning over her, resting his elbows on either side of her head. "But _man_, do I have _girlfriend_ issues."

"Oh?" She purred in a deceptively sweet tone, lacing her fingers together on the back of his neck. "_Do_ elaborate."

He kissed her once. "Shit, where to start?" She's annoying─" he kissed her again, "─alcoholic─" and again, "─_way_ meaner than I deserve─" a fourth time, "─and to be honest─"

"Okay, that's enough outta you, pal." She pulled him in and kissed him roughly.

When she let him up for air, he grinned rakishly and said, "Good, 'cause I was running out of flaws." He paused. "No, wait─"

She smacked the back of his head and he laughed. "I'm nicer to you than anyone in the guild!" He kissed her again to shut her up. "And I'm not an alcoholic!"


End file.
